STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Duck-tailed Burger Palace Boys and gum-snapping, hip-shaking Pink Ladies will rule the roost this weekend as the Sun Valley Community School players present “Grease.”
The Broadway classic that takes audiences all the way back to 1959 will take the stage at 7 p.m. tonight through Saturday, Nov. 3-5 at the Sun Valley Community School Theater.
Charlie Coulter will star as the head greaser Danny Zuko popularized by John Travolta in the movie version. Rose Bicas-Dolgen will portray Sandy Dumbrowski, who was popularized by Olivia Newton-John.
Elyse Duffield will play Rizzo and Paisley Shapiro, Frenchy.
“Yes, there will be T-Birds and Pink Ladies. Yes, ‘Greased Lightning’ will ride again. Yes, audiences will recognize all the music and doubtless must bite their lips in order to keep from singing along,” said Director Kevin Wade. “But the real reason that this show is a perfect choice for us is the accessibility of the characters, their closeness in age to our performers, and the similarity of the issues they deal with to those high school kids deal with today.”
Indeed, the students will deal with appearance issues and dysmorphia, peer pressure and the pressure to conform to others’ expectations even as they sing their way through “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’” Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Sandy.”
The musical ran for eight years on Broadway with two subsequent revivals.
Other Upper School students in the cast include Etienne Blumberg, Elizabeth Dahlen, Katie Gardiner, Sydney Lovering, Lizzie Loving, Phoebe Everett Williams, Cassius Klingenfuss, Luc Gilbreath, Brady Giles, Steven Serva-Gonzales, Ida Belle Gorby, Bridgette Silva, Addie Parmenter, Aster Pitts, Callan Duke, Hadley Duke and Riley Siegel.
Students working tech behind the scenes include Tyler Salvoni, Koa Mott, Carter Hickey, Kyan Gandhi, Thor Roberts, Cash Ammons, and Middle School student Moi Bicas-Dolgen.
Ben Larroquetteis the music director; Megan Mahoney, the choreographer and vocal coach, and Sara Gorby, costume and properties designer.
Tickets are $10 and $14 available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36066/production/1142427?performanceId=11180082.